Bright Blazing Sun
Sunkit is an average kit of ThunderClan - no powers, no prophecy. As he grows into an apprentice, he tries to find out who and what he is. When a threat looms, he must figure out how to save himself and the cats he loves. CHAPTER 1 :Sunlight shone bright on a greenleaf day. It made cats look away and blink. It made cats hot. :Cats were at the sun's mercy. :One cat, although he was much smaller, stood above the rest. He was free to leave the hollow, and mess up the medicine den whenever he wished. This cat was handsome, and all of the she-cats batted their eyes at him. :He was the strongest cat in the Clan. All of the other cats trusted and respected him. He made battle plans. He was the head of every patrol. :All because of a prophecy. :One day, this day, the cat stood up and mewed, "Today is the day that the prophecy will come true." :So he flicked his tail, and the merciless sun exploded. :All the cats leaped up and cheered, calling his name... :"Sunkit! For the last time, get up!" one yowled in his ear. :Sunkit shut his eyes. I'm having such a wonderful dream, he thought miserably. Leave Dirtkit to mess it up! :A paw prodded Sunkit. "Get up!" Dirtkit's voice whined. :Sunkit blinked his eyes open and had to shut them quickly- the sun was still shining. "I'm up," he groaned to his denmate. "Can't you just leave me alone?" he added, annoyed. :"If you're up, open your eyes," Dirtkit meowed. "Or you might as well be talking in your sleep." :Sunkit heard pawsteps fading away, and he sighed in relief and tried to sleep again, but he couldn't. :He stood up and shook off his pelt of any moss. "Thanks, Dirtkit," he growled to himself. :He looked around and saw his littermate, Nettlekit, standing in the entrance of the nursery. :"We're all just kits," Nettlekit mewed to Sunkit. "He should just leave you alone." :Sunkit nodded but did not reply, and pushed past his sister to go into the main camp. :"Sunkit!" Sparrowpaw rushed over and stopped Sunkit from trying to get away. :"Did you hear?" Sparrowpaw asked happily. "Dirtkit's becoming an apprentice today." :Sparrowpaw spoke fondly of her brother. Not long after she and her littermates had been born, her mother, Cloudheart, had mated once again and had one kit- Dirtkit. :Sunkit held back a rude comment and just replied, "Good for him!" Then, on impulse, he added, "Now he can't bother me in the nursery." :Too late, he bit his tongue. But Sparrowpaw didn't seem to be offended. Instead, she nodded and mewed, "Oh- look. Cindertail is calling me for training. Gotta go!" :Sunkit watched as she bounded away. :"From now on, you will be known as Dirtpaw," Sandstar mewed, flicking her tail. "Your mentor will be Antfur," she added. :Antfur- the deputy. Sunkit despised him. Antfur was bossy and strict, but the best warriors in the Clan had been mentored by him. :Dirtpaw touched Antfur's nose, confirming that they were mentor and apprentice, and the ceremony was over. ThunderClan chanted, "Dirtpaw! Dirtpaw!" :Sunkit could not help but feel a sense of relief as the Clan crowded around Antfur and Dirtpaw, congratulating them and calling Dirtpaw by his new name. Antfur could not be Sunkit's mentor now. :Sunkit looked around the clearing uncertainly and saw Fangpaw- the newest apprentice next to Dirtpaw, sitting alone, far outside the Clan. Fangpaw looked distressed, and was scratching the ground with his claws. :"What's wrong?" Sunkit asked anxiously, trotting over. :"Gustpelt scolded me- again!" Fangpaw whispered. :Sunkit blinked and turned toward the Clan. Indeed, the medicine cat was congratulating Dirtpaw. :Fangpaw continued, "I really want to be a medicine cat, but not if Gustpelt is going to be mad at me all the time." Fangpaw's voice grew scathing as he added, "His expectations are much too high." :Sunkit wanted to comfort the distressed apprentice, but he didn't know what to say. :What kind of cat will I be if I can't encourage my Clan to follow their dreams? Sunkit asked himself angrily. :He whispered, "I'm sorry," and ran back to the nursery. :He was safe there. CHAPTER 2 :"One more moon," Sunkit whispered to Nettlekit as he watched Dirtpaw leave the camp. :Nettlekit's eyes gleamed. "I can't wait," she replied softly. :"Hello, kits," Sandstar meowed, walking over to the pair. "What are you up to today?" :Nettlekit shrugged. Sunkit, however, replied boldly: :"We're visiting ShadowClan." :Sandstar's whiskers twitched. "Oh, really?" :"Really," Sunkit replied. He was glad that the leader was taking him seriously. :"How will you do that?" Sandstar asked, sitting down. :"We'll leap the river," Sunkit described, "or find a patrol." He had heard many descriptions of the ShadowClan boundary, but he couldn't wait to see it himself. :Sandstar nodded. "Good idea," she praised. "And what if you meet something big, like a fox?" :Sunkit placed his paws on the ground and puffed out his chest. "I'll fight it!" he declared boldly. :Sandstar's whiskers twitched once more as she stood up. "Not just one cat can take down a fox." :"Nettlekit will help me!" Sunkit mewed proudly. He glanced at his littermate. "Right?" :Nettlekit's bright blue eyes were wide with fear. "S-sure," she stammered. She backed away. "When I'm Nettle''paw''." :Sunkit felt a pang of hurt. "Why not?" he whined. :Weedtail, Sunkit and Nettlekit's father, trotted over. "Now, that's enough, kits," he meowed. "Stop bothering Sandstar, she probably has much better things to do than listen to you two fight." :Sunkit leaped forward. "No!" he protested. "I was gonna visit ShadowClan!" :"That's enough, Sunkit," Weedtail mewed sternly. "Go play now." He pushed Sunkit away with his tail. "Go try to find a beetle!" he suggested. "Race Nettlekit. First one back wins." :Sunkit nodded at Nettlekit- his new opponent- and promptly raced across the clearing to the first beetle he saw. :"I win!" he called to Weedtail. :Weedtail looked up from his conversation with Sandtail and he lowered his head and began to shake. :Sunkit looked at his beetle. "I found you," he said. "Weedtail said to find a beetle and I found you and"- his voice rose- "it's not funny!" :Weedtail stopped laughed and looked at Sunkit. "That's not a real beetle," he explained. "That's Beetlefur." :"His name has 'beetle' in it," Sunkit protested hotly. :Sparrowpaw trotted over, her whiskers twitching. "Sunkit, why don't I show you and Nettlekit some battle moves?" :Sunkit looked up eagerly, instantly forgetting the beetle nonsense. "Sure!" :As he walked away, he heard Weedtail apologizing to Beetlefur, but he wouldn't know why. CHAPTER 3 :"I need five more cats!" the deputy, Grasstail, yowled. :Sunkit looked up from where he was sharing a mouse with Nettlekit. "What's wrong?" he whispered. :Nettlekit shrugged. "Something bad," she replied. :Sunkit made his decision. "I'll go!" he yowled, standing up. :Grasstail shook his head. "I'm sorry, Sunkit," he meowed, gesturing to the five cats standing in a cluster near him. :Sunkit nodded and sat down again. :The five cats- Dirtpaw, Falcontalon, Eagletail, Longleg, and Thornpelt- left the camp quickly, following Grasstail. :Sunkit felt a pang of worry. He had no idea what was going on! :He retreated from the mouse, leaving Nettlekit with the entire thing, and sat down to wait. :"No!" :Cloudheart's yowl pierced the heavy, humid air. :"No, no, no!" :"It's okay," Sparrowpaw whispered, pulling her mother away. "It's okay. Dirtpaw's fine." :Sunkit stared sadly at Dirtpaw's dead body. There was no blood. :Just a tiny scar on his neck. :He turned away, disgusted. :"I just can't believe he's gone," Sparrowpaw whispered. :Sunkit stared sadly up into her eyes. "Neither can I." :Sparrowpaw nuzzled Sunkit. "But we have to stay strong. That's what warriors do." :Sunkit thought that she was trying to keep herself calm more than him. :But, for once, he kept his mouth shut, and let the silence fall over them. CHAPTER 4 Category:Forestpaw13's Fanfictions